Born in Tennessee in 1917, Shelby McCallum moved to Benton in 1939 to manage the old Benton Theater. He served in the Army during World War II, then returned home and opened several drive-in theaters. He founded WCBL AM in December 1954 and operated it for the remainder of his life. He served as a State Representative from 1952 to 1960 and from 1962 to 1968, and as Speaker of the House from 1964 to 1968. He later served as 1st District railroad commissioner and was a member of the KET Authority and the Pritchard Commission of Higher Education. He was the first chairman of the state legislative Ethics Board, created in response to the Watergate scandal, and presided over passage of the first Civil Rights Act in a southern state. He died in 1987 and is buried at Fooks Cemetery.